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Amurites
Background The Amurites have no ancient history, no glorious empire in the Age of Magic to harken back to or trace their lineage from. In terms of civilizations, the Amurites are newcomers on the world stage. Nevertheless, they are a force to be reckoned with, feared by some, and respected by all. Part of that respect stems from the tremendous magical power the Amurite armies command, but no small part of it stems from the incredible story of their genesis. The Amurites call themselves the Children of Kylorin. According to their own legends, the arrival of the archmage Kylorin saved the Amurite people from obscurity, or possibly extinction, during the Age of Ice. Not even the Amurites know exactly why Kylorin picked these people as his chosen folk, but they maintain that it was because of a particular strength of character. Whatever the reason, when Kylorin appeared he changed the fortunes of the tiny, struggling clan that had been the Amurites. For years he lived in their midst, taking new wives as his old ones died of old age or in childbirth, leading the Amurites to a level of organisation and advancement unrivalled by any other nation in the Age of Ice. Generations came and went, but Kylorin remained a constant, working towards some arcane goal with the Amurites as his willing and joyous tools. Whether through magic or sheer force of will, he remained young throughout. Until, one day, Kylorin strode out of his home. His face had aged many years, terrible purpose shone in his once soft and kindly eyes, and a magnificent blade hung faintly glowing by his side. With no farewells and no apologies, he went forth into the icy wastes and never came back. Soon after, the Thaw began. He had, however, left behind a powerful gift: his children. Through the years there had been quite a few, and they all carried latent magical abilities. Though the advancement made during the guardianship of the immortal wizard started leaking away during the Thaw, Kylorin’s powers remained. Throughout the years, the children of Kylorin intermarried with the rest of the Amurites, and the abilities spread, making the Amurites the civilization that is most magnificently in touch with the magical currents of Erebus. This link has affected every aspect of Amurite life. They run their nation like a great magical school, training as many of their young as possible in, at the very least, basic magic skills. Their schools are so famous, they even attract those with magical abilities from other corners of the globe to join their ranks. The Archmages and Headmasters of the Schools and Universities act like an aristocracy in a nation that does not really have one, wielding great political power beyond the walls of their institutions. As with any large collection of scholars, the Amurites are mired in scholarly bureaucracy, the most insipid form of administrative quagmire known to man. The Archmages, like professors, are frequently involved in petty squabbles over obscure matters that develop into personal feuds. Positions and knowledge are jealously guarded and hard to obtain; potential rivals are stonewalled at every turn. It is easy to become a mage in the service of the Amurites, but it takes a shrewd, powerful and unscrupulous practitioner of magic to rise to the apex of magical power. Above all, the Amurites have come to worship magic for its own sake. Their fascination with all aspects of magic is so deep that they do not feel hindered by petty alignments and concepts of "good" and "evil". Any avenue of magic can be explored, but some branches, like necromancy, are governed by strict laws and regulations, in order to prevent abuse and disasters. Justice for a mage who ignores these laws and starts dabbling in the regulated branches without obtaining the necessary permission is merciless, final, and in keeping with their fascination with the uses of magic, rather spectacular. No possibility is left for a repeat offence. Since the Amurites do not feel themselves confined by the alignments most nations follow, they are treated with a healthy amount of distrust by good and evil civilizations. Evil civilizations dislike the regulation of the dark and chaotic spheres, good civilisations are worried that they are not forbidden entirely. While not specifically hated by any, they have trouble making truly close allies. However, they don't feel they need for any. As long as they are left in peace to conduct their magical experiments, they are happy, and wise rulers respect that. Those few who have crossed the Amurites and felt the fire of their arcane might have no desire to repeat the experience. Many have not been left the option. Features The best mages come from the Amurites. Though not particularly spectacular of their own right, what makes them remarkable is the sheer number of them and the ease with which they can be brought to bear on the field. Their arcane units gain XP faster via the Arcane Trait as well as via their special building. In addition, the Amurite World Spell, Arcane Lacuna, grants 1 XP to all Amurite Arcane units for each improved Mana node in the world, and resets the nodes to Raw Mana. They have slightly stronger mages, and you can combine this with learning Earth 2 - Stoneskin. Govannon is a very unique individual in the world of Erebus. Most Mages attempt to maintain an aura of mystery and will jealously guard their secrets, frequently attempting to appear more knowledgeable than they may actually be. But Govannon instead makes his way amongst the common people of the Amurite Society and attempts to instruct everybody whom he encounters in the mystical arts. This means that even the lowest of soldiers in the Amurite army are capable of calling up a skeletal servant, granting themselves and their companions a boost of speed, preparing for an upcoming battle, or setting the surrounding Forests ablaze. His spellteaching ability is fantastic, you can impart Level 1 spells for free. Do not waste his levels on Combat upgrades or Level 2 spells. However, his spellteaching ability means you may want to delay upgrading your adepts with spells you know they can learn for free from Govannon. Have some of your wizards learn Metamagic 2 - Dispel Magic so that you can change your nodes around at your leisure. Govannon is particularly effective with nodes, but do not have him learn Dispel Magic. The Cave of Ancestors gives an extra experience point per Mana Type owned to Adepts created there and their Wizards start with a Spellstaff for free. This means that an Adept can quickly climb the ranks to become a Wizard (needing only seven Mana sources beyond the initial three from the Amurite Palace), and for the Wizards it means the ability to cast a second spell in a single turn. Though this is a one time shot, it can prove the difference between life and death, so should not be casually dismissed. The Amurite Firebows are a replacement for Longbowmen that are able to learn to cast Fireballs, thus allowing them to take an active role in the part of defenders. But beyond this fact, they are capable of taking the teachings of Govannon all one step further, thus learning how to summon a Spectre, bestow Mutations, or grant their fellows the boon of Shadowwalking and Regeneration. This makes a Firebow invaluable as accompaniment for an invading army. Chanters are the perfect answer to an opponent who is finding a way to get around your Wizards and harass you. Difficult for other troops to detect, capable of striking at the weakest enemy in a stack (typically that means the opponent's Mages), and beyond that they are able to Escape back to your Capital City when things turn sour, or you find yourself in dire need of extra defense. Strategy See this post in the Your Top Ten Tips for Your Favorite Civ thread. Information Leaders ::*Dain the Caswallan ::*Valledia the Even ::*Kylorin (FfH1) Unique Buildings *Amurite Palace Unique Units *Chanter *Firebow *Swordsman *Wizard World Spell ::*Arcane Lacuna Category:Civilizations